Sexism Can Be Harmful for Men Too, But Not in the Ways You Might Think

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New research published by the American Psychological Association finds that sexism may have an impact on men too — but not necessarily in the way that proponents of the idea that “sexism against men exists” (i.e. Kit Harington) claim it does.

Out of 11 societal masculine norms the researchers looked at, conforming to “self-reliance,” “pursuit of playboy behavior,” and “power over women” were most associated with negative mental health, such as depression, among the participants.

The masculine norms of playboy and power over women are the norms most closely associated with sexist attitudes. The robust association between conformity to these two norms and negative mental health–related outcomes underscores the idea that sexism is not merely a social injustice, but may also have a detrimental effect on the mental health of those who embrace such attitudes.

Further, clinging to such norms was unfavorably related to psychological help seeking, so those men were also less likely to look for treatment solutions for said mental health problems.